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PTC Windchill vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

PTC Windchill
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
21st
Average Rating
5.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.4
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Engineering Process (2nd), PLM Tools (1st)
Sparx Systems Enterprise Ar...
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
2nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Design (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of PTC Windchill is 0.5%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is 14.5%, down from 19.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Architecture Management
 

Featured Reviews

JY
Pricy and tough to integrate with some solutions, though it provided essential support for workflows
Some parts of the system are exclusive, so we can't work with them. There are many programs, but ones from other companies' systems are hard to maintain. Though they are from the same neutral format, we cannot implement them. PTC Windchill should improve that. Moreover, the product is expensive. The scalability, stability, and the initial setup should be improved.
Milan Sterba - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient documentation generation through organized model structure with a good price-performance ratio
Whenever I begin a new project with Sparx, I have to spend time training people on how to use it since it is not straightforward. Although it's a powerful product with plenty of features, it's not easy for even experienced users to find their way without guidance. This is not the most user-friendly solution.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I like how the product integrates with other technical solutions."
"It's a stable and scalable solution. I like that it's similar to Rational Rose."
"Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect was easy to set up and it took just twenty minutes."
"The profiles and ready-made templates are an extremely helpful feature. This is one of the biggest features that I find very useful in Sparx."
"The advantages of Enterprise are that it's cheaper and much more practical than MagicDraw."
"Its traversability is most valuable. I can use ArchiMate, and I can create a UML model. ArchiMate is for logical enterprise architecture, UML is for software engineering, and BPMN is for business processes. I can build it to have multiple models, and they are also traversable, which is not something that every tool allows. If there is a huge organization, you can segment it and have separate models for business technology or internal resource management system. You don't need to keep them in one model, and you can decide to segregate them."
"The best thing about the tool is that its database is open."
"The stability has been good and satisfactory. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
"Using Sparx Enterprise Architect allowed my customer to detail and make the company's IT strategy visible and accessible to all. The system provided clear roadmaps for IT development and helped to keep up-to-date documentation of systems and processes."
 

Cons

"Some parts of the system are exclusive, so we can't work with them."
"Whenever I begin a new project with Sparx, I have to spend time training people on how to use it since it is not straightforward."
"The initial setup of the Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect It's very complicated. It's very difficult to start with the right templates because there are many possibilities. The deployment took approximately two days."
"If you just want to create some diagrams with shapes and arrows, then use Visio."
"The presentation graphics need to be improved in future builds."
"Greater OMG UML and XMI compliance"
"Weak in regards to data modelling. No logical or physical modelling or migration from conceptual to physical."
"The solution needs to offer better support for the mobile-based system. Right now, it's not working."
"In a future release, they should improve portfolio planning."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate PTC Windchill's pricing a seven out of ten since it is pricey."
"The Corporate Edition, or one of the bundles, is the way to go."
"I use my own license. So, I just bought the professional version, which costs $800 or something like that. In the company where I am working, we have floating licenses. They are probably more expensive. Its licensing is affordable, but we are talking about a large organization, and there could be modelers or viewers of the models. We don't know how much that would cost us."
"Its price is very good for the value that you get with it."
"Pricing and licensing is very attractive, simple, and straightforward."
"Licenses are pretty low cost compared to, for example, ARIS."
"Pricing and licensing are suitable even for small companies."
"I think our license costs roughly $1,000 a year, but I could be wrong."
"In terms of cost, Sparx EA is probably one of the cheapest tools I have ever used."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
24%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Transportation Company
6%
Educational Organization
18%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about PTC Windchill?
I like how the product integrates with other technical solutions.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PTC Windchill?
I rate PTC Windchill's pricing a seven out of ten since it is pricey. The costs are fixed, and there are no additional costs.
What needs improvement with PTC Windchill?
Some parts of the system are exclusive, so we can't work with them. There are many programs, but ones from other companies' systems are hard to maintain. Though they are from the same neutral forma...
What do you like most about Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
The stability has been good and satisfactory. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
One of the reasons many public sector institutions in the Czech Republic use it is that it provides a very good price-performance ratio. While it might be cumbersome to learn, it still delivers exc...
What needs improvement with Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
Whenever I begin a new project with Sparx, I have to spend time training people on how to use it since it is not straightforward. Although it's a powerful product with plenty of features, it's not ...
 

Also Known As

Windchill, Atego Artisan Studio, Integrity Modeler
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bose, Valliant Group
OmniLink
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP LeanIX, Sparx Systems, erwin by Quest and others in Enterprise Architecture Management. Updated: January 2025.
838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.